BRING YOUR LUNCH TO FRENCH PARK AFTER SERVICE ON SUNDAY

Immediately after Sunday service, we’ll be walking over to French Park to eat lunch and enjoy one another’s company in the midst of the neighborhood God has placed us in. Here are the details:

• It’s “BYOL” (bring your own lunch). If you forget your lunch or your favorite lunchbox isn’t clean, there are plenty of great restaurants nearby in DTSA.

• It’s optional - but we highly encourage coming!

• Bring some folding chairs - unless you like sitting on the grass, bring something to sit on.

• Expect the Lord to build existing relationships and create new ones with our neighbors.

SEPTEMBER 24 - SEPTEMBER 30

Every Tuesday we publish a blog post to lay out in one place what’s going in the life of the church for the upcoming week. See below for a snapshot of what’s on the calendar this week:

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26: FRENCH PARK RUN CLUB

• 6:30am - French Park grass area

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26: WOMEN’S MEETING

• 7:00pm - Schlieder Home

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28: CHILDREN’S MINISTRY TRAINING DAY

• 9:00am - Meet at LivingWell Multipurpose Room (2010 N Tustin St C, Orange, CA 92865)

  • Contact Liz with any questions

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• 10:00am - Meeting Room: Ballroom

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30: THE BRIDGE COURSE

• 7:00pm - Hopper & Burr (202 W Fourth St, Santa Ana 92701)

  • Registration is open throughout the course - invite a friend anytime!

9/24 -9/26

Starting today, the Senior Pastors of our Western Region will be gathering for a time of fellowship, encouragement, and prayer. We’re trusting that these days away would strengthen our pastors and strengthen our churches in the West.

Join us in praying their time together. Here are a few things to cover:

• That the Lord would freshly affect them with the joy of their salvation

• That the weary would be comforted and refreshed

• That times of fellowship and ministry would be sweet

• That our partnership within the Western Region would be even richer and more robust and our shared gospel mission galvanized to the glory of God, the joy of our churches, and the good of our neighbors

THANK GOD FOR PASTORS

WHAT ARE YOU AFTER IN WORSHIP?

Isaiah 58 is proof positive that the greatest threat to God's people is not what's "out there," but always what's "in here." Chapters 56 and following, envision the people back home from Babylon, and even though their enemies have been defeated and they've returned to the land, the problem remains as close to home as ever. It’s the wayward and hearts beating in their chests. This proneness to wander is revealed in the compromised worship of the people. Isaiah 57 makes it clear that even after the collapse and comforting of Judah, the allure of idolatry remains and the people are going hard after what is false (57:9-10). God speaks to them in Isaiah 58 and says, "If only you were so sincere in true worship!" This brings us to the heart of the matter: we're all worshipers. It's not a question of IF we will worship but WHAT we will worship. Apart from Christ, that worship is ultimately directed at ourselves. But even for those in Christ, we're still prone to go through motions of religiosity, engage in overtly spiritual hypocrisy, and make worship about us (58:1-2). We must be uncompromising in keeping God as the goal and great reward of our worship. Trusting that as we do, it will result in true love toward our brothers, sisters, and neighbors and a proper enjoyment of all the rest of God's good gifts.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

JOIN US AT 7PM

Every first & third Friday at 7pm, three different groups meet throughout our city to share in the joy of Jesus, care for one another, and apply the gospel to each other’s lives. Outside of Sunday mornings, small groups are the most important moments in the life of our church. Make it a priority to attend one this Friday.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SMALL GROUPS, CLICK HERE

BRING YOUR LUNCH TO FRENCH PARK AFTER SERVICE ON SEPTEMBER 29

Immediately after Sunday service, we’ll be walking over to French Park to eat lunch and enjoy one another’s company in the midst of the neighborhood God has placed us in. Here are the details:

• It’s “BYOL” (bring your own lunch). If you forget your lunch or your favorite lunchbox isn’t clean, there are plenty of great restaurants nearby in DTSA.

• It’s optional - but we highly encourage coming!

• Bring some folding chairs - unless you like sitting on the grass, bring something to sit on.

• Expect the Lord to build existing relationships and create new ones with our neighbors.

LET’S CONTINUE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR SUNDAY MEETING SPACE

We’re so grateful to host our Sunday services in the heart of DTSA. As an expression of that gratitude, let’s continue to commit to being the best tenants we can be by remembering a few simple rules:

1. Parents, please keep an eye on your children throughout the entirety of our Sunday morning gatherings to ensure their safety and make sure they’re remembering the rules below:

   -No running or wrestling (inside or outside) at the Ebell Club

   -In the Courtyard, please stay on the turf and sidewalk, do not walk in the planters, or climb on the guardrails

2. Please make sure not to roll any equipment down the stairs, or roll any strollers down the steps. Please lift these items up and over the steps as you go to avoid cracking or chipping the tiles.

Thanks for doing your part to love our meeting space!

PRAY FOR OUR FAMILY OF CHURCHES

From Dave Taylor, Global Missions Director of Sovereign Grace Churches:

John Piper famously writes,

            ‘Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, millions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.’

I believe Mr. Piper is right. Missions exist because so many people in our neighbourhoods and nations have yet to receive their invites to the incredible marriage supper of the Lamb. And in His incredible kindness, He’s entrusted us with the privilege of giving out those invites, to every tribe, language and nation.

We’re eager then to keep giving out the invites, and so here’s how you can be praying for us in the month ahead…

1. Pray that God would give the members and pastors of Sovereign Grace churches opportunities to share the gospel with unbelievers in our communities, workplaces and on our campuses over this next month.

2. Pray for Pat Tedeschi and Greentree Church’s Short-Term Missions Team as they head to London, UK, to work with Oasis International  Church, 13th-23rd September. The team will be involved with leading church services, youth events, small group discipleship, neighbourhood evangelism, and building relationships with the church members. Greentree has partnered with Oasis Church for the past 18 years, with the work primarily involving outreach to Muslims and the least evangelised people groups in London. Please pray for much grace and favour for this trip.

3. Pray for the Philippine Pastors Institute as they restart up again for another academic year, starting on September 21st, then meeting every Saturday for the next nine months. There are 14 students currently registered for the school, covering basic biblical theology, and the Sovereign Grace seven shared values. It’s the hope that through PPI Sovereign Grace Philippines, in particular in the Mindanao region, will continue to be faithful in the gospel for many generations to come.

4. Pray for Sovereign Grace Church of Parramatta as they celebrate their 5th Anniversary on Sunday 15th September, and Lord’s Grace Church of Seoul as the celebrate their 14th Anniversary on Sunday September 8th. May they know the Lord’s smile on them as they look back and remember His goodness to them over these years.

5. Pray for Trinity Fellowship Pastors College in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as they celebrate the graduation of nine students this month. Please pray for each of the students as they consider next steps beyond the PC, and for Josh Pannell and Michael Granger as they continue to move this wonderful work forward. The Lord is doing great things through this Pastors College.

6. Please continue to pray for the Ark Church in Dnipro, Ukraine asking God to continue to protect them, and to use them to meet practical needs, and to offer gospel hope to those around them who have been impacted by the war. There are so many coming to them now, so may His grace abound.

... Thanks friends. May we do all we can to keep giving out these invites.

SEPTEMBER 17 - SEPTEMBER 23

Every Tuesday we publish a blog post to lay out in one place what’s going in the life of the church for the upcoming week. See below for a snapshot of what’s on the calendar this week:

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18: DOWNTOWN OUTREACH

• 1:45pm - Plaza Calle Cuatro in DTSA

  • Contact Pastor Jeff for more details

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19: RUN CLUB

• 6:30am - French Park grass area

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20: SMALL GROUP

• 7:00pm - Houlton, Roenicke, and Erkelens Home

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21: COASTAL CLEANUP

• Connect with neighbors as you clean-up our city!

• 9:00am - Meet at Jerome Park (2115 McFadden Ave. Santa Ana)

  • Sign up here

  • RSVP with Kara Davis

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• 10:00am - Meeting Room: Ballroom

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23: THE BRIDGE COURSE

• 7:00pm - Hopper & Burr (202 W Fourth St, Santa Ana 92701)

  • Registration is open throughout the course - invite a friend anytime!

WE ARE ONE BODY, MEMBERS ONE OF ANOTHER

In Ephesians 4:25, Paul says that we are one body, yet “members one of another.” Church membership is so much more “membership in a club,” it’s a sincere expression of commitment to the people around you. The Bible is full of “one anothers” - commands toward believers to act in godliness toward other people. What Scripture makes clear is that these “others” refer to a specific group of people and not all people generally. These others are the men and women identified in a particular local church. As members of Cross of Grace Santa Ana, we have the privilege of living out the Christian life with one another. We celebrate and grieve with one another. We build deep relationship with one another. We join arms to advance the joy of Jesus in a particular neighborhood with one another. We help one another pursue holiness. We remind one another of the sweetness of the gospel.

In light of this, we praise God for the new members, Lana Chea, Cordell & Marina Warm, we had the joy of introducing this last Sunday. Be encouraged by what new member, Lana, had to share with us during the new member testimony:

I grew up attending church, but it was not until college that I began to ask what I truly believe. Through church and college friends, I became a believer and became active in college ministry.

However, a few years after college, I started to feel a lack of genuine community, despite my regular church attendance. Just as I was about to search for a new church, the pandemic struck, which made it difficult to get to know a church. After visiting several churches in Orange County, I found that few met my three primary criteria: Christ-centered and practical preaching, the Word lived out, and a genuine community.

Cross of Grace met all these criteria. In fact, from my very first visit, I knew Cross of Grace would be my new church home. I recall chatting with Jared and Tracie Oda both before and after the service. They even invited me to join them and several others for lunch, and to my surprise, I agreed. I’ve had the privilege of attending small groups and one-on-one hang outs, and I am continually amazed by everyone’s heart for the Lord. I thank God and each of you at Cross of Grace for welcoming me. It’s evident that the Lord is doing a good work in me and through each person at this church. I look forward to serving the Santa Ana community alongside my brothers and sisters and contributing to the church.

We look forward to joining our new members in spreading the joy of Jesus in Downtown Santa Ana!